The Andes scents.

12 days

from 2001 to 3500 US$

The Andes scents.

A top-of-the-range stay gathering the treasures of the Inca empire, from the Titicaca lake, to the capital of the old empire, all comfort with in particular the luxurious train of the Andes from Puno to Cusco. Possibility to choose the best hotels: Belmond, Inkaterra, or Relais & Châteaux.

Quotation request

Day by day

day 1: Arrival in Lima.
Arrival of your international flight.

Transfert to your hotel in a private vehicle accompanied with your guide to the modern and safe district of Miraflores. located nearby the Pacific ocean. (about 1 hour last)

Free time in the afternoon in Lima.

Dinner on your own in Lima.

Overnight in Lima.

Steps: Lima and its region Callao Lima Gold Museum Gold Museum of Larcomar
day 2: Visite of Lima and departure to Arequipa.
Visit the San Martin square. part of the historic main area of Lima and classed as Cultural heritage of humanity. the square is surrounded by many historical buildings illustrating a page of the city history. Then you go along a cute walking street, de la Union, and discover an amazing pedestrian crossing, immersing you in the world dedicated to postcards and philately (closed on Mondays).

Then La Merced church, a notable religious monument built in 1535, its façade as its inside spaces are full of interests that we will have to observe. After visiting the church you will reach the pleasant Place d'Armes, the heart of the city and where several historical monuments are located: among the most important, the Cathedral, the seat of government, as well as the Town Hall.

After been inside the heart of Lima, discover the San Francisco cuvent catacombs. a labyrinth of crossing pass underground, these catacombs gather the bones of thousands of people. A secret and hidden place for several centuries, these catacombs have created a strange atmosphere tinged with silence and respect.

Transfert to the international airport of Lima.

Lunch on your own in Lima.

Flight to Arequipa.

Transfert to the hotel.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Arequipa.

Steps: Lima and its region The Main Square (the Plaza de armas)
day 3: Visite of Arequipa
Today is to visit the second city of the country. placed at the bottom of an impressive volcanoes chain. as the Misti, reaching the 19029 feet high, above the sea level. with a sunny climate and an extraordinary gastronomy, one of the best in Peru. it is very pleasant to discover the architectural and natural treasures of the "white city", especially through the narrow colonial alleys of the city centre. It is also the home city of the famous writer Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature.

You will start your visit to the city by the Plaza de Armas, bordered by arcades, all these buildings were built with lava tuff, locally named as Sillar, this particular material has given to the city the alias of "White City". You will enjoy the charming Cathedral, completely built in sillar.

Visit the Compañia cloister, one of the oldest churches in the city, built in 1739. discover its architectural complex.

The discovering of the city will continue with the visit of the Santa Catalina convent, built in XVI century, a real religious city colorful and today completely integrated to the city. The monastery has 65617 ft2, which housed, until 1970, nearly 500 nuns who lived cut off from the outside world. Today open to the public, the nuns occupy only a small part of it, still respecting the life of the cloister (Length of the visit: about 1 hour).

Lunch on your own.

Visit of the Andean Sanctuary museum, it's completely dedicated to the discovery of the mummy called "Princess Juanita", the Ice Princess. The museum is composed of the funerary and ritual objects that surrounded it, and at the end, as a reward, the two mummies of the sacrificed girls are enthroned.

Dinner on your won.

Overnight in Arequipa.

Steps: Arequipa and Colca canyon Arequipa The Cathedral of Arequipa Clautros de la Compañia Church of la Compañia Santa Catalina Monastery
day 4: Sabandía and Departure to Puno.
You will start from your hotel in a private mini bus to the fields surrounding Arequipa to discover the other face of Arequipa, with its andean terraces, its agriculture and its little colonial villages living far from Arequipa tumult.

Way to Paucarpata to discover its little square, palms decorated and its little colonial church. following to visit the Sabandia moulin, built in 1785, where the surrounding estates came to grind the wheat. Like many buildings in Arequipa it is built in sillar stone and reflects the local architecture. Located 20 minutes from the historic center of Arequipa, you will go to the "mansión del fundador". Don Manuel Garci de Carbajal erected this building of pure colonial style in the middle of the terraces of culture and on the banks of the river Socabaya. The viewpoint of Sachaca will allow you, at a height of about twenty meters, to contemplate the surrounding countryside and to guess in the distance the city of Arequipa with the majestic Misti volcano as a backdrop.

Return to Arequipa.

Trip to Puno.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Puno.

Steps: Puno and the Titicaca lake
day 5: Departure to the Titicaca lake and to the Suasi private island.
Departure from Puno to the Uros archipel, about forty islands, made of a base of aquatic plants reinforced with lake reeds. The first stage of this excursion will take us to meet the community living on the different islands, made up of Totora, where several families live mainly from fishing and tourism.

Then, on a fast boat, head towards the Taquile island, a peaceful island with its green hills contrasting the blue light of the lake. This will be an opportunity to discover the customs and traditions of the island's inhabitants, who have a high quality textile tradition. Several pre-Inca and Inca archaeological remains, present on the island, testify to the presence of several brilliant civilizations, for whom, and to this day, the lake continues to occupy a predominant place in rites and offerings. Agricultural and livestock activity is also important on the island, which has recently opened up to tourism.

Following to Suasi.

This small desert island was developed in the 1990s: on the entire 2 hectares of its surface, only a small hotel, built with materials found on the island itself and powered by renewable energy, stands to welcome visitors, far from the traditional tourist circuit. The comfortable interior is matched only by the charm of the flowered garden of this small stone hotel, and most of the food available comes from the vegetable garden that is cultivated there.

Free evening time.

Dinner and overnight in the Suasi island.

Steps: Puno and the Titicaca lake Suasi Island Taquile Island Uros Islands Puno Handicraft market
day 6: Suasi island.
Free morning time, to enjoy the hotel activities.

Possibilities include canoeing on the lake, walking to the top of the island, discovering the secrets of the lake in the ecological cabin, etc. Other activities are possible with an extra charge, such as a relaxing time in the sauna.

Lunch in the form of a lunch basket and return by boat to Puno.

Dinner at leisure in Puno.

Overnight in Puno.

Steps: Puno and the Titicaca lake Suasi Island
day 7: Crossing the Altiplano.
Departure from Puno to Cusco by bus.

Crossing through the great landscapes of the andean plateaus, many stops are planning to visit interesting places.

Discover the lithic museum of Pucara, wich show the andean people evolution from the first men to the incas.

Then a stop in La Raya pass where the oxygen will be scarcer. 14232 ft. above the sea level. you will discover the Royal Cordillera, in the center of the Andes.

Lunch stop included in Sicuani,

Visit to the Raqchi site where, the Inca temple of Wiracocha, the creative god, is located. This temple was a major administrative and religious center. Its impressive size and geographical location suggest that it was a food storage center for pilgrims travelling to Cusco.

Continuing this trip takes us to Andahuaylillas. This small village is famous for its early 17th century church, known as the "Sistine Chapel of South America" due to the frescos and paintings that decorate it, but also for its golden carved altar.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Cusco.

Steps: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Cusco
day 8: Visit of Cusco
Finally in Cusco, the center of the world for the Quechuas, the capitale city of the Inca Empire, classed as a Human legacy city, has preserved its historic city centre with its cobbled streets and perfectly carved stone walls, and during the day you will visit the famous imperial city, including the Place de Armas. Testimony of the architectural mastery of the Incas and the spanish, as the stone at the 12 corners, an Inca construction where the stones are perfectly intertwined, which raises many questions.

Visit the impressive colonial cathedral, built from 1559 till about 1659. between the Triumph and the holy familly: Joseph, Jesus and Mary churches, making an architectural complex full of history.

Way to the Gold's temple, or Qoricancha, from quechua; then you will discover the foundations of the monastery of Santo Domingo as well as the colonial church.

Discover the city's main market, San Pedro, which is still in full swing. This is the most important market in the city, and you can find fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers; the ideal opportunity to immerse yourself in the local atmosphere! The discovery of all the spices and exotic fruits will delight young and old alike.

Lunch on your own in Cusco.

Departure by private vehicle to discover the main archaeological sites around Cusco, the most famous of which is the fortress of Saqsayhuaman, a site designed to protect the city. The walls of this site were made with huge blocks of stone. To build the whole of Saqsayhuaman, it took about fifty years and more than forty thousand hands! For more than 500 years, this site has remained unchanged. During the day, you will also visit the ceremonial baths of Tambomachay, dedicated to the worship of water and the gods. Then your journey will continue with the visit of the fortress of Puka Pukara, with its pinkish colours at sunset, as well as the ceremonial site of Q'enko, a place of worship for the Incas where sacrifices, including the mummification of the Incas nobles, were made.

Dinner on your own in Cusco.

Overnight in Cusco.

Steps: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu The cathedral of Cusco Cusco The Inca walls and the twelve-angled stone Plaza de Armas de Cusco Sacred Square San Blas
day 9: Visit of the Sacred Valley and departure to Machu Picchu.
Visit of the Moray inca site, circular and concentric terraces. They could be a kind of an agricol laboratory, the local population could copy artificially some climats to evaluate the production capacity of a new product. (visit time last from 20 mn. to 1 h)

Discover the sacred valley of the incas, visiting the Salines of Maras, amazing contrast in the heart of the valley. there are almost 300 terraces where salt have been producing salt since pre-Hispanic times by water evaporation of the basins, leaving a thin salt nappe, You will discover the local way of the salt extraction. (visite time about 1h last.

Lunch on your own in Urubamba.

Visit time to the Ollantaytambo fortress, a bastion in a strategis geographical situation, allowing the incas to resist the Spanish troops; this construction is an silent eyewitness of those combats after the fall of Cusco in conquistadors hands. Also to note the urbanisme of the village intact from the incas period. (visit will last about 45 mn).

Train to Aguas Calientes.

Dinner on your own in Aguas Calientes.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes.

Steps: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Aguas-Calientes Maras Village Archaeological site of Moray Ollantaytambo – Archaeological site Ollantaytambo – Village The Sacred Valley of the Incas
day 10: Visit of Machu Picchu
You will take the bus to go to the site.

The guided tour of the site lasts approximately two hours.

Dream of any traveler, legend not having delivered all its mysteries yet, the citadel of Machu Picchu continues to bewitch and seduce the visitors in search of magic.

Return by bus to Aguas Calientes.

Lunch on your own in Aguas Calientes.

Departure by train to Ollantaytambo.

Transfert from Ollanta train station to the sacred valley.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight in Sacred Valley.

Steps: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Inti pata Intihuatana Machu Picchu Montaña Machu-Picchu Machu Picchu Museum The 3 windows temple temple of the moon Temple of Moon Temple of Sun The main Temple
day 11: Visit the Sacred Valley and Pisac
Visit the Pisac inca site, Located on a ridge overlooking the Urubamba Valley, this fortress controlled the comings and goings on the right bank of the Vilcanota River. Possibility, for those who wish (and if the weather allows it), to walk down to the village of Pisaq, from Intihuatana.

Time to visit the village, you can visit the handicraft .market, you will discover all the andean and the surrounding hand made production: ponchos, alpaca and sheep textiles, jewelry, antiques, paintings and many other quality articles.

Lunch on your own in Pisac.

Continuation towards Cusco, on the road you visit a llama and alpaca farm, famous South American camelids. It will be possible to observe the complete weaving process of this highly sought-after wool, which is fine, light and very pleasant to the touch.

Dinner on your own in Cusco.

Overnight in Cusco.

Steps: Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Cusco Pisac; archaeological site Pisac Market
day 12: End day of your peruvian journey
Transfer to the airport of Cusco,

Flight to Lima passing above the majestic Andes and its glaciers and mountains.

End of your stay in Peru.

Steps: Lima and its region Lima

This site uses cookies.It's noted, thank you.